Devices for removably locking panels in framing



D. s. CURL 3,295,753

PANELS IN FRAMING Filed July 28, 1964 Jan. 10, 1967 DEVICES FOR REMOVABLY LOCKING In ventor DONALD S. CURL Age'n f.

United States Patent 3,296,763 DEVICES FOR REMOVABLY LOUKHNG PANELS IN FRAMING Donald S. Curl, Pickering, @ntario, Canada, assignor to Al Lipson and Bernard Smith, both of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as nominees Filed July 28, 1964, Ser. No. 385,669 7 Claims. (Cl. 52475) The present invention relates to means for securing interchangeable panels such as glass and screen panels in the framed openings provided therefor in windows and doors or like facilities normally found in building apertures.

Said openings are ordinarily enclosed by perimetrical framing which provides seating for the panels and a main object of the invention is to provide readily and simply manipulable means for releasably retaining said panels in said seating.

In particular the invention seeks to provide such retaining means which are manipulable manually and without tools.

To obviate the hitherto common practice of screwing such retaining means to the framing the invention further seeks to provide a retaining device or detent for co-operation with a formation on the framing itself and on which said detent will be movable between panel retaining and panel releasing positions.

Moreover, it is important that any detent or retaining device in its panel releasing position should not obstruct ready removal or installation of the panel relative to the framing and accordingly it is a further objective of the invention to provide detents which are capturable by said framing in the panel retaining position thereof but which are freely withdrawable from said framing in the panel releasing position thereof.

Obviously with panels of the type contemplated by the invention it is highly desirable that they be seated in a weather-tight and/ or insect-tight fashion in the perimetrical framing and it is a further object of the invention to provide means whereby to seat a panel as aforesaid by a powerfully wedging action exerted by said detents between said panel and said co-operating formation on the framing.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a panel retaining device as aforesaid mountable at substantially any selected point along the length of framing seating the panel. By this expedient a standard extruded framing can be used to build frames of assorted shapes and sizes without further adaptation to receive retaining devices at appropriate discrete points, thus conducting to a speedier and more economical assembly of the complete structure.

In the interests of economy and durability it is preferable to provide a structure which is as simple as possible and the invention therefore seeks to provide a panel retaining detent which may be molded in one piece from synthetic resin and which has a shape enabling it to co-operate with said formation on the framing. Such a detent, besides being somewhat resilient and being thereby possessed of enhanced wedging characteristics, is additionally advantageous in that it is not susceptible to oxidization such as attacks metals and the inconveniences attendant thereon.

The above, and other, objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by the provision of structure installable in a building aperture, including framing providing seating for removable panels. Detents are also provided for releasably retaining each said panel in its said seating, at least one of the detents being withdrawably attachable to a formation on the framing. While attached to said formation, the detent may be moved between panel retaining and panel releasing positions and in said panel retaining position is captured by the framing to prevent Patented Jan. 10, 1967 its withdrawal therefrom. In the panel releasing osition, however, the detent is withdrawable from the formation. The detent exerts a wedging action on the panel to retain it in its seating, being wedged between said formation and the panel in the aforesaid retaining position.

Preferably said formation includes an elongated slot and said detent includes a trunnion rotatable in said slot as the detent is moved between its panel retaining and releasing positions.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be expresslystated or will become apparent in the ensuing description of one preferred embodiment of the invention, the elements and operation of which will be described by way of illustration only with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference letters and numerals denote like parts of the invention and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing framing as contemplated by the invention and a removable glazed panel seated in said framing, a pair of detents being also shown respectively in panel retaining and releasing positions;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the detents shown in FIG. 1 partly broken away in order clearly to show the construction thereof;

FIG. 3 is an elevational broken view of window framing in position in a building aperture with a panel seated in the framing and retained therein by detents in the manner contemplated by the invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary end elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 1 with a detent about to be engaged with attachment facilities on the framing;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 correspond generally with FIG. 4 but respectively show the detent in the positions assumed by the right-hand, central and left-hand detents of FIG. 1.

The window W of FIG. 3 is exemplary of structure contemplated by the invention which is installable in a building aperture and includes in its construction framing F providing seating for an interchangeable panel P which is retained in its seating in framing F by detents D as will subsequently be explained in greater detail.

A portion of framing F as contemplated by invention is illustrated in FIG. 1, said framing being intended to form part of a window or equivalent utility installable in a building aperture as in FIG. 3. I

The framing F seats a removable panel such as P and detents D are withdrawably captured by and releasably retain the panel P in the framing F.

The detents D, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter, are easily manually attachable to and detachable from the framing F and each detent D is movable to one position, herein termed the panel retaining position, wherein it wedges the panel P in seating S on the framing F. Each detent D may also be moved from said panel retaining position of FIG. 7 to the panel releasing position of FIG. 5 wherein the wedging action is relaxed, and the detent D may be withdrawn completely from the framing F as in FIG. 4 to avoid obstructing removal of the panel P out of its seating S in framing F.

Obviously a powerful wedging of the panel P by the detents D is conducive to a highly satisfactory seating of the panel P in the framing F and for this reason it is preferred that the detents D be disposed to apply a direct thrust to the panel P in a direction perpendicular to the panel plane, said thrust urging the panel P into tight engagement with the seating S.

The herein visualized means of achieving such a thrust is to form each detent D with a camming portion so that the detent D may be moved as aforesaid about an axis substantially parallel to the plane of the panel P whereby to effectively introduce a wedge between panel P and the attachment facilities for detent D formed on framing F.

In the present instance it is envisaged that the framing F forms a substantially complete surround for the panel P when the latter is installed therein, detents such as D being withdrawably attachable to said framing at various points along the length thereof.

The exemplary panel P may include a pane of glass 2 surrounded by heading 4 of generally H-section and it will be understood that in accordance with conventional practice packing is inserted between the glass 2 and the heading 4 but that for the sake of clear presentation such packing has not been shown in the drawing.

Attention is now directed to the framing F which may be formed as an extrusion from aluminum-alloy or other suitable framing material. The seating S previously referred to is provided by a conventional rabbet formation which also provides a lip or wall 6 which is the abutment against which the panel P is wedged, the panel being urged towards the lip 6 by means of the detents D as will be described in greater detail hereinafter to retain the panel P in said seatings.

To provide a substantially rattle free, weather-tight and insect-proof mounting of the panel P in the framing F, packing is conventionally interposed between the lip 6 and the beading 4. For reasons of simplicity, however, such packing has not been shown in the drawing, and even without the packing a very tight engagement between the panel P and framing F can be achieved.

It is appropriate at this point to consider in detail the detents D which are identical with each other and one of which is illustrated on an enlarged scale in FIG. 2. The salient features of each detent are a central trunk or trunnion 12, radially extending lobes 14-16 carried in axially spaced relation by said trunnion, and a lever arm 18 also connected to the trunnion 12. In FIG. 2 the lobe 14 is largely broken away clearly to show the trunnion 12 and the lobe 16. Preferably each detent D is molded integrally from a synthetic plastic material having at least a small degree of resiliency for a purpose which will appear and being capable of relatively frictionless sliding engagement with the substance of head 4.

As previously observed the present framing F is equipped with a formation to capture detents D and to provide fulcrummage on which said detents D may be braced in wedging or panel retaining position. In the instant embodiment said formation is in the form of a keeper plate 20 which is integral wit-h framing F and has a median slot 22 in which the central detent trunk or trunnion 12 is insertable and in which it is rotatable between panel engaging and panel releasing positions. As will be apparent from the drawings, the plate 20 and slot 22 are continuous substantially along the entire length of each side of the framing F which is of uniform cross-section throughout its length.

At least said lobe 16 is also capable of passing through said slot 22 when the detent D is oriented in panel releasing position, said lobe 16 being directed and dimensioned to be retained by said keeper plate 20 when the detent D is turned to panel engaging or wedging position and being hereinafter termed the captive lobe.

The mode of attaching the detent D to the framing F will now be apparent. The detent is first positioned as shown in FIG. 4 over the slot 22 and with the major dimension of the captive lobe 16 substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the slot 22. On being lowered to the FIG. 5 position the captive lobe 16 passes through the slot 22. Subsequent rotation of the detent D causes the lobe ends 16a-16b to underlie the unslotted portions of the keeper plate 20, FIGS. 6 and 7, so that the detent is held captive thereby. In the FIG. 7 position the major dimension of the captive lobe 16 is more or less perpendicular to the axis of the slot 22. It should be noted that the edges of the slot 22 form a bearing for the trunnion 12 during the rotation aforesaid and that consequently the lobes 14-16 are spaced apart a distance equal, at least, to the thickness of the keeper 4 plate 20 and when the detent D is attached to the framing F are disposed on opposite sides of the keeper plate.

The superior or camming lobe 14 is generally in registration with the captive lobe 16 although it is not required to enter slot 22. At all events when the detent D is turned in slot 22 in a direction to procure capture of captive lobe 16 by keeper plate 20, the camming lobe 14 will simultaneously be turned to engage the periphery of a panel P seated in framing F and will drive it against lip 6.

The camming lobe 14 has a rounded end 14a and, as seen best in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, said end 14a overlies and projects slightly beyond the captive lobe end 16a in a radial direction relative to the axis of the trunnion 12. As the detent is rotated about said trunnion axis from the FIG. 5 to the FIG 7 position, or from position A to position C of FIG. 1 the camming lobe end 14a engages the beading 4 of panel P and earns it towards the wall 6 until in the FIG. 7 position or position C of FIG. 1 so that the panel is pressed firmly against said wall 6 with the detent D acting as a wedge interposed between the keeper plate 20 and the panel and exerting an expansive thrust therebetween. The term expansive thrust has been used herein for convenience to denote a thrust tending to separate the two elements, and since the detent D exerts such a thrust between the panel P and the keeper plate 20 it will be understood that the panel and keeper plate are urged away from each other in diametrically opposite directions relative to the rotational axis of the trunnion 12.

The advantage of molding the detent D from a resilient material will now be obvious since if the camming lobe 14 is made slightly oversize, as shown, said camming lobe will be compressed slightly in the FIG. 7 position and will exert a resilient bias on the panel P. Moreover with a slightly resilient material close tolerances in manufacture are not absolutely necessary, any minor irregularities being compensated for by more or less compression of the detent. Obviously the rounded end 14a of the camming lobe 14 conduces to a smooth camming or wedging action and ready compression of the lobe in the manner described.

The rotational movements of the detent outlined above and illustrated in FIGS. 37 are effected by manual manipulation of the lever arm 18 which is swung through approximately degrees between the panel releasing position A of FIG. 1 and the panel retaining position C of FIG. 1, an intermediate position thereof being illustrated at B in FIG. 1. To locate the lever arm in position C said arm may be provided at its free end with a stop 24 which may be of bulbous configuration as illustrated. When the detent D reaches its panel retaining position the arm 18 lies substantially parallel with the panel P and the stop 24 abuts against the beading 4 of said panel. In this way undue over-centre rotation or overrun of the camming lobe 14 is prevented and it is ensured that substantially maximum pressure is maintained thereby on the heading 4. It may here be noted that the formation of the arm 18 on the detent D renders said detent a selfsufficient element in the structure, that is to say, no tools are required to install it on or withdraw it from the framing F.

Although the panel P illustrated in the drawings includes the glass pane 2 it will be understood that the structure of the invention may accommodate panels of other types such as screen panels and that it is primarily intended for use with a plurality of interchangeable panels of different types.

In use a panel P is seated on the framing walls 6-8 and the detents D are then engaged in the keeper plate 20 of the framing F, being subsequently rotated to their panel retaining positions. The detents D may be located at any selected points along the length of the slot 22 and may he slid along said slot while in their panel releasing positions. When it is desired to remove the panel. I from the framing F the detents D are rotated to their panel releasing positions (position A of FIG. 1) and are withdrawn from the keeper plate 20. The panel P is then freely removable from the framing F.

To sum up, therefore, the structure of the invention provides framing F with seating S for a removable panel P. Detents D can be connected to the framing F by means of a formation thereon such as the keeper plate 20 and may be positioned as wedges between the panel P and the keeper plate to retain the panel tightly in its seating. Each detent D may also 'be positioned to relax its wedging action on the panel P, in Which position it is freely withdrawable from the keeper plate 20 permitting removal of the panel from the framing.

Whereas one preferred embodiment of the invention has been described herein it will be understood that this embodiment has been set forth in detail for illustrative purposes only and that many modifications may be made in the structure herein described without departing from the scope of the claims now following, such modifications being such as readily to suggest themselves to a person skilled in the art to which this invention relates.

What I claim is:

1. Structure installable in a building aperture including:

Framing for surrounding and providing seating for a removable panel;

Detents for releasably retaining said panel in its seating on said framing, and

A formation on said framing with which one, at least,

of said detents is withdrawably engageable for movement between panel retaining and panel releasing positions;

Said detent being withdrawable from engagement with said formation when it is in its panel releasing position;

Means on said formation cooperating with said detent whereby said detent is non-withdrawably captured by said means when it is in its panel retaining position and being then wedged between said formation and said panel to apply an expansive thrust there- 'between, and

Said framing being of uniform cross-section throughout its length rendering said formation continuous substantially along each side of said framing enabling said one detent to be selectively engaged with said formation at various points along the length of a side of said framing and to be movable between said points while engaged with the formation as aforesaid.

2. Structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

Said one detent comprises a trunnion and said formation provides a bearing for said trunnion in which the detent is rotatable between its said two positions.

3. Structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

Said formation includes a keeper plate with a median elongated slot extending lengthwise of said framing;

Said one detent comprises a trunnion slidable in said slot and rotatable therein between its two positions aforesaid;

Said trunnion having radially disposed lobes axially spaced apart a distance equal, at least, to the thickness of the keeper plate;

One said lobe being adapted to wedge the panel as aforesaid;

The other said lobe being adapted to pass freely through the said slot when the detent is in its panel releasing position and to underlie the said keeper plate and to be non-withdrawably captured thereby when the detent is in its panel retaining position.

4. Structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

Said one detent is a cam and said formation provides a bearing in which said cam is movable between the aforesaid panel retaining and releasing positions.

5. Structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

Said one detent comprises a trunnion and said formation provides a bearing wherein said trunnion is movable between the aforesaid panel retaining and releasing positions;

Said trunnion having a lobe for wedging the panel as aforesaid when the detent is in its panel retaining position;

Said detent having also an arm by which the trunnion is movable as aforesaid;

Said arm being disposed to lie in parallel relation to the panel in the panel retaining position of the detent;

A stop being provided for arresting overrun of the said detent when it is moved from its releasing to panel retaining positions.

6. Structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

Said detent comprises an integral molding of plastic material.

7. Structure as set forth in claim 3 wherein:

Said one lobe includes a rounded end engageable with said panel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 99,854 2/1870 Crocker 40-156 1,103,774 7/1914 Johnson 52476 1,688,953 10/1928 Yeager 525OO X 1,740,622 12/1929 Owens et a1 52397 2,095,037 10/1937 Reintjes 525OO X 2,280,142 4/1942 Daniels 18978 X 2,798,327 7/1957 Di bb 2056.4 X 3,146,502 9/1964 Reiss et al 52-498 FOREIGN PATENTS 233,226 4/1964 Austria. 677,554 1/1964 Canada.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Examiner.

W. E. HEATON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. STRUCTURE INSTALLABLE IN A BUILDING APERTURE INCLUDING: FRAMING FOR SURROUNDING AND PROVIDING SEATING FOR A REMOVABLE PANEL; DETENTS FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID PANEL IN ITS SEATING ON SAID FRAMING, AND A FORMATION ON SAID FRAMING WITH WHICH ONE, AT LEAST, OF SAID DETENTS IS WITHDRAWABLY ENGAGEABLE FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN PANEL RETAINING AND PANEL RELEASING POSITIONS; SAID DETENT BEING WITHDRAWABLE FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FORMATION WHEN IT IS IN ITS PANEL RELEASING POSITION; MEANS ON SAID FORMATION COOPERATING WITH SAID DETENT WHEREBY SAID DETENT IS NON-WITHDRAWABLY CAPTURED BY SAID MEANS WHEN IT IS IN ITS PANEL RETAINING POSITION AND BEING THEN WEDGED BETWEEN SAID FORMATION AND SAID PANEL TO APPLY AN EXPANSIVE THRUST THEREBETWEEN, AND SAID FRAMING BEING OF UNIFORM CROSS-SECTION THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH RENDERING SAID FORMATION CONTINUOUS SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG EACH SIDE OF SAID FRAMING ENABLING SAID ONE DETENT TO BE SELECTIVELY ENGAGED WITH SAID FORMATION AT VARIOUS POINTS ALONG THE LENGTH OF A SIDE OF SAID FRAMING AND TO BE MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID POINTS WHILE ENGAGED WITH THE FORMATION AS AFORESAID. 